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bibliorow's review against another edition
4.0
This was a good attempt at a dark academia novel, but it kind of lost me in the end. As much as I appreciate the final message and the theme, the tone swerved from the first half of the book, and it felt disconnected. I did like the writing, for the most part, though there were certain words and dialogue choices that I thought weren’t quite time-period accurate. But I appreciate the authors desire to tell this story and the work he put into it.
danielashutup's review against another edition
4.0
I almost DNF’d at 10% because I couldn’t connect with the writing style, which felt childish and rushed, but I’m glad I carried on. It builds up. The beautiful LGBTQ+ representation, the story, the sense of queer belonging, both shared grief and joy, the strong bisexual rep… the last 30% more than made up weak first chapters. Truly a sense of fraternity in the end, I’m glad for what was discovered and learned, for the found family of it all, warmth spreading through your chest.
mauricereads's review against another edition
4.0
A queer dark academia novel set in the 90s is pretty much a dream book premise for me, so it is no surprise how much I enjoyed this.
I went in expecting the occult plot line to provide the main feeling of an impending disaster. While that aspect was as dark and engaging as I’d hoped, the thing that caused me the most anxiety was the character’s struggles. It did not take me long to connect to and fall in love with the three narrators: Zooey, Daniel, and Leo. They each go through tribulations regarding sexuality, and while it fluctuated from anger-inducing to heart-warming, it was always compelling.
The author does not shy away from discussing the AIDS epidemic and its effects on the character's perceptions of their lives. It was felt most towards the last half of the novel and examined with insight. One thing that I wish was explored more was Daniel’s experiences with intersectionality and race in general. He encountered homophobia in the novel, but despite being one of the only Black students at a private school predominantly attended by wealthy White Republicans, the racism was surprisingly all told instead of shown. However, the lack of development in that area is likely due to the story being written by a White man who (understandably) does not have enough awareness of what it was like to be Black in that time and place and analyze it further. It was not a deal-breaker, but considering how well he treated the AIDS epidemic, it was something I wished had been addressed more comprehensively.
Fraternity was both dark and touching. A book about academia and iniquitous magic, but also love, community, and perseverance from a group of people who needed it then and still do now.
I went in expecting the occult plot line to provide the main feeling of an impending disaster. While that aspect was as dark and engaging as I’d hoped, the thing that caused me the most anxiety was the character’s struggles. It did not take me long to connect to and fall in love with the three narrators: Zooey, Daniel, and Leo. They each go through tribulations regarding sexuality, and while it fluctuated from anger-inducing to heart-warming, it was always compelling.
The author does not shy away from discussing the AIDS epidemic and its effects on the character's perceptions of their lives. It was felt most towards the last half of the novel and examined with insight. One thing that I wish was explored more was Daniel’s experiences with intersectionality and race in general. He encountered homophobia in the novel, but despite being one of the only Black students at a private school predominantly attended by wealthy White Republicans, the racism was surprisingly all told instead of shown. However, the lack of development in that area is likely due to the story being written by a White man who (understandably) does not have enough awareness of what it was like to be Black in that time and place and analyze it further. It was not a deal-breaker, but considering how well he treated the AIDS epidemic, it was something I wished had been addressed more comprehensively.
Fraternity was both dark and touching. A book about academia and iniquitous magic, but also love, community, and perseverance from a group of people who needed it then and still do now.
penpen412's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
dylpickle26's review
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I thought the book was mostly good but it felt like there were two major story arch’s that made the book feel like it had a weird pacing
thebookofthefrog's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
tokrnis's review against another edition
5.0
I LOVE QUEER MEDIA! Something about this book—as an asian bisexual, myself—made me feel more comfortable with my sexuality. It also made me uncomfortable as there were some unsettling scenes present in the novel. But, regardless, queer books have that ? spice that straight novels don’t. No straight book can make me so comfortable and unsettled at the same time. No straight book can make me relate to feeling afraid of being the person I was because of society’s cruelty towards non-white homosexuals. And no straight novel could make me so attached to a character—to relate to a character so badly—the way a queer one could (specifically, this queer novel.)
patroclus99's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
abananass's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0